Reservation Signal Forwarding Using 2-Stage Sidelink Control Information (sci)

The present application is a continuation of and claims priority to US Application No. 18/030,246, entitled “RESERVATION SIGNAL FORWARDING USING 2-STAGE SIDELINK CONTROL INFORMATION (SCI)” and filed on Apr. 4, 2023; which is a national stage application of PCT/US2021/052809, entitled “RESERVATION SIGNAL FORWARDING USING 2-STAGE SIDELINK CONTROL INFORMATION (SCI)” and filed on Sep. 30, 2021; which claims priority to Provisional Application No. 63/091,033, entitled “ENHANCED METHOD TO USE THE 2-STAGE SIDELINK CONTROL INFORMATION (SCI) DESIGN TO SUPPORT THE FORWARDING”, filed Oct. 13, 2020, all of which are assigned to the assignee hereof and hereby expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety.

This invention generally relates to wireless communications and more particularly to vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications between wireless communication devices.

A vehicle ad-hoc network (VANET) is an autonomously created wireless network of vehicles. In some VANETs, the wireless communication devices, which are located within the vehicles of the VANET, autonomously select the time-frequency resources for data transmissions to other vehicles within the VANET. However, if the number of transmitting vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) devices is large with respect to the resources available for data transmissions, the probability of data transmission collisions is high.

The methods and systems discussed herein describe a first wireless communication device receiving reservation signals from two other wireless communication devices, each reservation signal identifying one or more time-slots reserved for data transmissions and a data priority level associated with the data transmissions. When the first wireless communication device determines that the reservation signals have at least one common identified time-slot, the first wireless communication device transmits a forwarded reservation signal, which identifies the time-slots reserved by the wireless communication device with the higher data priority level, to the wireless communication device with a lower data priority level. The wireless communication device that receives the forwarded reservation signal determines whether to transmit data during the time-slots identified in the forwarded reservation signal.

The examples discussed below are generally directed to vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication between two or more vehicles that are part of a vehicle ad-hoc network (VANET). However, any of the following examples may be applied to vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, which is the passing of information from a vehicle to any entity that may affect the vehicle or that the vehicle may affect. For example, V2X is a vehicular communication system that incorporates other, more specific types of communication, including V2V, V2I (vehicle-to-infrastructure), V2N (vehicle-to-network), V2P (vehicle-to-pedestrian), V2D (vehicle-to-device), and V2G (vehicle-to-grid). There are two types of V2X communication technology depending on the underlying technology being used: wireless local area network (WLAN)-based V2X, and cellular-based V2X (C-V2X). Some examples of V2X protocols include Long-Term Evolution (LTE) (Rel-14) V2X Mode 4 and 5G New Radio (NR) V2X Mode 2.

In order to minimize the number of data transmission collisions in a VANET, a wireless communication device interested in transmitting data transmits a reservation signal, which is also referred to herein as a reservation channel transmission, which indicates resources to be used for the data transmission at a future time. The other wireless communication devices in the VANET receive and decode this reservation signal in order to identify the resources that will be used by the transmitting wireless communication device for future data transmissions. In order to avoid collisions, the other wireless communication devices take the resources identified in the reservation signal into account when selecting transmission resources that will be used for their respective future data transmissions.

In accordance with one example of a resource selection method, a wireless communication device that is interested in transmitting data uses long-term sensing to discover which resources are already periodically being used by one or more other wireless communication devices. When an actual data packet arrives at the wireless communication device, the wireless communication device uses short-term sensing to detect, among the remaining idle resources, an idle set of resources. In general, the sensing may be based on the successful decoding of the control channel and/or the signal-to-noise measurement of the reference signals embedded within the control/data channels above a given threshold value. The wireless communication device then transmits a reservation signal to reserve resources, which were identified as being idle, for a future data transmission. In some cases, the reservation is indicated in a Sidelink Control Information (SCI) transmission. In other cases, the reservation is indicated in a dedicated signal. In LTE and 5G NR V2X, the reservation is indicated as part of the SCI.

1 FIG.B 106 111 110 106 110 106 110 t n m + Although the sensing method allows the wireless communication devices to select the unused time-slots, it is still possible for the data transmissions to collide due to the mobility of the wireless communication devices. For example, a “merging collision” occurs when a first wireless communication device moves into a region where there is already a second wireless communication device using the same time-slot as the first wireless communication device. For example, as shown in, a “merging collision” would happen when the accelerating wireless communication deviceis about to enter the coverage areaof wireless communication deviceand both wireless communication devices,happen to be using the same time-slot,, for their respective data transmissions. The sensing method, described above, does not help avoid the “merging collision” in this scenario because wireless communication devicewill not detect the out-of-range wireless communication device.

The methods and systems discussed herein describe a first wireless communication device transmitting a forwarded reservation signal, which identifies one or more time-slots that have been reserved by a second wireless communication device, to avoid “merging collisions.” More specifically, the first wireless communication device receives a first reservation signal from a second wireless communication device, which identifies one or more time-slots that have been reserved by the second wireless communication device for data transmissions. The first reservation signal contains an indication of a first data priority level associated with the second wireless communication device data transmissions.

The first wireless communication device also receives a second reservation signal from a third wireless communication device, which identifies one or more time-slots that have been reserved by the third wireless communication device for data transmissions. The second reservation signal contains an indication of a second data priority level associated with the third wireless communication device data transmissions. At least one of the identified time-slots in the second reservation signal is the same as at least one of the identified time-slots in the first reservation signal.

If the data to be transmitted by the third wireless communication device has a lower priority level than the data to be transmitted by the second wireless communication device (e.g., the second data priority level is lower than the first data priority level), the first wireless communication device transmits a forwarded reservation signal that identifies the one or more time-slots reserved by the second wireless communication device. Based at least partially on the forwarded reservation signal, the third wireless communication device determines whether to refrain from transmitting data within the one or more time-slots that have been reserved by the second wireless communication device for data transmissions. If the third wireless communication device determines to refrain from transmitting, the third wireless communication device cancels its upcoming data transmissions and starts the process of resource reselection (e.g., selecting a different set of one or more time-slots) for its data transmissions.

Alternatively, if the data to be transmitted by the third wireless communication device has a higher priority level than the data to be transmitted by the second wireless communication device, the first wireless communication device transmits a forwarded reservation signal that identifies the one or more time-slots reserved by the third wireless communication device. In other examples, the first wireless communication device transmits the forwarded reservation signal if a received power value of the first reservation signal is within a pre-defined received power range.

For the examples described herein, it is assumed that the wireless communication devices are equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and that synchronization among the wireless communication devices is performed using the one pulse-per-second (1PPS) signal provided by the GPS receiver. Using the 1PPS signal, the wireless communication devices obtain common reference timing, synchronized with each other and become aware of the frame-boundaries. Each frame consists of a constant number of fixed duration time-slots (e.g., the duration of each frame is 100 milliseconds long where each time-slot within the frame is 0.5 ms, resulting in 200 time-slots per frame). As a result, every wireless communication device has the knowledge of the frame-number and time-slot-number.

1 FIG.A 1 FIG.A 1 FIG.A 100 101 108 110 106 100 is a block diagram of an example of a system in which a plurality of wireless communication devices are nodes of a vehicle ad-hoc network (VANET). For the example of, VANETis located on roadwayand includes first wireless communication device, WCD1,, second wireless communication device, WCD2,, and third wireless communication device, WCD3,. In other examples, VANETmay have a different number of wireless communication devices than that shown in.

100 102 100 100 100 1 FIG.A VANETis wirelessly connected to a radio access network (not shown) via an infrastructure communication node (e.g., base stationor a road side unit (RSU)), which provides various wireless services to one or more of the wireless communication devices that are part of VANET. For the example shown in, VANEToperates in accordance with at least one revision of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project Long Term Evolution (3GPP LTE) communication specification. In other examples, VANETmay operate in accordance with other communication specifications.

102 100 102 106 108 110 104 1 FIG.A 1 FIG.A In the interest of clarity and brevity, only one infrastructure communication node (e.g., base station) is shown in. However, in other examples, any suitable number of infrastructure communication nodes may be utilized by VANETin order to obtain/maintain communication with the network. For the example shown in, base station, sometimes referred to as eNodeB or eNB, communicates with wireless communication devices,,via wireless communication link. As referenced earlier, the infrastructure communication node is a road side unit (RSU), in other examples.

1 FIG.A 1 FIG.A 1 FIG.A 104 102 106 108 110 106 108 110 102 106 108 110 106 108 110 106 108 110 100 100 106 108 110 101 For the example shown in, wireless communication linkis shown as a broadcast downlink signal from base stationto wireless communication devices,,. Wireless communication devices,,are also capable of transmitting uplink signals (not shown) to base station. In the example of, wireless communication devices,,are each integrated into a vehicle as an onboard unit (OBU). In other examples, one or more of wireless communication devices,,may simply be user equipment (UE) devices that are located within a vehicle. Some examples of user equipment devices include: a mobile phone, a transceiver modem, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a tablet, for example. Each wireless communication device,,that is connected to VANETis considered to be a node of VANET. As indicated by the arrow in, the vehicles in which wireless communication devices,,are located are traveling from left to right on roadway.

102 102 204 206 208 102 102 2 FIG.A Base stationis connected to the network through a backhaul (not shown) in accordance with known techniques. As shown in, base stationcomprises controller, transmitter, and receiver, as well as other electronics, hardware, and code. Base stationis any fixed, mobile, or portable equipment that performs the functions described herein. The various functions and operations of the blocks described with reference to base stationmay be implemented in any number of devices, circuits, or elements. Two or more of the functional blocks may be integrated in a single device, and the functions described as performed in any single device may be implemented over several devices.

2 FIG.A 102 102 102 102 For the example shown in, base stationmay be a fixed device or apparatus that is installed at a particular location at the time of system deployment. Examples of such equipment include fixed base stations or fixed transceiver stations. In some situations, base stationmay be mobile equipment that is temporarily installed at a particular location. Some examples of such equipment include mobile transceiver stations that may include power generating equipment such as electric generators, solar panels, and/or batteries. Larger and heavier versions of such equipment may be transported by trailer. In still other situations, base stationmay be a portable device that is not fixed to any particular location. Accordingly, base stationmay be a portable user device such as a UE device in some circumstances.

204 102 204 206 206 208 208 208 206 210 210 210 Controllerincludes any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware for executing the functions described herein as well as facilitating the overall functionality of base station. An example of a suitable controllerincludes code running on a microprocessor or processor arrangement connected to memory. Transmitterincludes electronics configured to transmit wireless signals. In some situations, transmittermay include multiple transmitters. Receiverincludes electronics configured to receive wireless signals. In some situations, receivermay include multiple receivers. Receiverand transmitterreceive and transmit signals, respectively, through antenna. Antennamay include separate transmit and receive antennas. In some circumstances, antennamay include multiple transmit and receive antennas.

206 208 208 206 2 FIG.A Transmitterand receiverin the example ofperform radio frequency (RF) processing including modulation and demodulation. Receiver, therefore, may include components such as low noise amplifiers (LNAs) and filters. Transmittermay include filters and amplifiers. Other components may include isolators, matching circuits, and other RF components. These components in combination or cooperation with other components perform the base station functions. The required components may depend on the particular functionality required by the base station.

206 208 104 102 Transmitterincludes a modulator (not shown), and receiverincludes a demodulator (not shown). The modulator modulates the signals to be transmitted as part of the downlink signaland can apply any one of a plurality of modulation orders. The demodulator demodulates any uplink signals received at base stationin accordance with one of a plurality of modulation orders.

102 106 108 110 100 102 104 206 210 106 108 110 104 106 108 110 100 102 210 208 106 108 110 1 FIG.A 1 FIG.A As mentioned above, base stationprovides (1) various wireless services to one or more wireless communication devices,,, and (2) network connectivity to VANET. Base stationprovides these services and connectivity by transmitting downlink signal, via transmitterand antenna, to wireless communication devices,,. In the example of, the downlink signalis transmitted in a System Information Block (SIB) message that is broadcast to all wireless communication devices,,that are nodes of VANET. Although not explicitly shown in, base stationis capable of receiving uplink signals, via antennaand receiver, from wireless communication devices,,.

2 FIG.B 2 FIG.B 106 216 218 214 106 108 110 100 106 106 As shown in, wireless communication devicecomprises controller, transmitter, and receiver, as well as other electronics, hardware, and code. Althoughspecifically depicts the circuitry and configuration of wireless communication device, the same wireless communication device circuitry and configuration is utilized for wireless communication devices,in VANET. Wireless communication deviceis any fixed, mobile, or portable equipment that performs the functions described herein. The various functions and operations of the blocks described with reference to wireless communication devicemay be implemented in any number of devices, circuits, or elements. Two or more of the functional blocks may be integrated in a single device, and the functions described as performed in any single device may be implemented over several devices.

216 216 218 218 214 214 214 218 212 212 212 Controllerincludes any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware for executing the functions described herein as well as facilitating the overall functionality of a wireless communication device. An example of a suitable controllerincludes code running on a microprocessor or processor arrangement connected to memory. Transmitterincludes electronics configured to transmit wireless signals. In some situations, the transmittermay include multiple transmitters. Receiverincludes electronics configured to receive wireless signals. In some situations, receivermay include multiple receivers. Receiverand transmitterreceive and transmit signals, respectively, through antenna. Antennamay include separate transmit and receive antennas. In some circumstances, antennamay include multiple transmit and receive antennas.

218 214 214 218 2 FIG.B Transmitterand receiverin the example ofperform radio frequency (RF) processing including modulation and demodulation. Receiver, therefore, may include components such as low noise amplifiers (LNAs) and filters. Transmittermay include filters and amplifiers. Other components may include isolators, matching circuits, and other RF components. These components in combination or cooperation with other components perform the wireless communication device functions. The required components may depend on the particular functionality required by the wireless communication device.

218 214 104 Transmitterincludes a modulator (not shown), and receiverincludes a demodulator (not shown). The modulator can apply any one of a plurality of modulation orders to modulate the signals to be transmitted as uplink signals (not shown). The demodulator demodulates the downlink signalsin accordance with one of a plurality of modulation orders.

2 FIG.B 1 FIG.B 218 114 106 In the example shown in, transmitteris configured to transmit a forwarded reservation signal(shown in) in a second stage of a 2-stage Sidelink Control Information (SCI) transmission. One advantage of sending a 2-stage control channel is to split the SCI into two-stages. The first stage contains all the necessary control information for the decoding-based sensing to do resource allocation. The second stage contains the control information that a receiving wireless communication devicecan use to demodulate and decode the associated data channel. All receiving wireless communication devices decode both the first and second SCI stages.

218 218 108 In some examples, transmitteris configured to modulate and encode the second stage of the 2-stage SCI transmission in accordance with a same modulation and coding scheme (MCS) used to modulate and encode the first stage of the 2-stage SCI transmission. In other examples, transmitteris configured to modulate and encode the second stage of the 2-stage SCI transmission in accordance with a most robust modulation and coding scheme available to transmitting wireless communication device. For example, a transmitting wireless communication device may have a plurality of MCS that are available for it to use to modulate and encode a signal, depending on the channel conditions between the transmitting wireless communication device and one or more receiving wireless communication devices. A more robust MCS will increase the likelihood of successful signal transmissions in poor channel conditions, which could be associated with signal obstructions and/or interfering transmissions.

1 FIG.B 106 110 106 110 107 106 110 111 110 106 109 108 106 110 In the example shown in, there is a possibility of a “merging collision” between wireless communication deviceand wireless communication device. Direct communication of a reservation signal (e.g., reservation channel transmission) or reservation as a part of the SCI between wireless communication devicesandis not possible since coverage areaof wireless communication devicecannot reach wireless communication device. Similarly, coverage areaof wireless communication devicecannot reach wireless communication device. However, coverage areaof wireless communication devicecan reach both wireless communication deviceand wireless communication device.

106 110 106 110 110 112 108 112 110 100 112 110 1 FIG.B t n m + As wireless communication deviceaccelerates (e.g., from left to right, as shown by the dashed arrow in) and gets closer to wireless communication device, there is a possibility that a “merging collision” will occur if both wireless communication devices,attempt to use a same time-slot for data transmissions. In order to reduce the likelihood of a “merging collision,” wireless communication devicetransmits a reservation signalto wireless communication device. Reservation signalidentifies one or more time-slots, including time-slot, that have been reserved by wireless communication devicefor data transmissions within VANET. Reservation signalalso contains an indication of a data priority level associated with data transmissions from wireless communication device.

106 113 108 113 106 100 113 112 113 106 106 110 t t n m + n m + 1 FIG.B Wireless communication devicealso transmits a reservation signalto wireless communication device. Reservation signalidentifies one or more time-slots, including time-slot, that have been reserved by wireless communication devicefor data transmissions within VANET, at least one of the identified time-slots (e.g.,) in reservation signalbeing the same as at least one of the identified time-slots in reservation signal. Reservation signalalso contains an indication of a data priority level associated with data transmissions from wireless communication device. In the example shown in, the data priority level associated with data transmissions from wireless communication deviceis lower than the data priority level associated with data transmissions from wireless communication device.

t n m + 113 112 106 110 108 106 114 110 100 Since at least one of the identified time-slots (e.g.,) in reservation signalis the same as at least one of the identified time-slots in reservation signaland the data priority level associated with data transmissions from wireless communication deviceis lower than the data priority level associated with data transmissions from wireless communication device, wireless communication devicetransmits, to wireless communication device, a forwarded reservation signalthat identifies the one or more time-slots that have been reserved by wireless communication devicefor data transmissions within the VANET.

1 FIG.B 108 114 100 108 114 112 In the example shown in, wireless communication devicetransmits (e.g., broadcasts) forwarded reservation signalto other wireless communication devices in VANET. In some examples, wireless communication devicetransmits forwarded reservation signalif a received power value of the reservation signalis within a pre-defined received power range.

106 114 108 114 114 114 106 1 FIG.B Wireless communication devicereceives forwarded reservation signalthat was transmitted from wireless communication device. In some examples, the forwarded reservation signalspecifies a destination (e.g., intended recipient) for the forwarded reservation signal. For the example shown in, the forwarded reservation signalmay specify a destination identifier (ID) of wireless communication devicein either the SCI or in a Media Access Control (MAC) header.

114 106 110 106 Based at least partially on the forwarded reservation signal, wireless communication devicedetermines whether to refrain from transmitting data within the one or more time-slots that have been reserved by the wireless communication devicefor data transmissions. If wireless communication devicerefrains from transmitting and starts the process of selecting an unused time-slot, the “merging collision” is avoided.

112 114 112 114 In some examples, reservation signaland/or forwarded reservation signalcomprise one or more of the following: reservations for multiple time-slots, Global Positioning System (GPS) information, a zone identifier (zone ID), a number of time-slots reserved information, a cell identifier (cell ID), a group identifier (group ID), a frame-offset, and a subframe-offset. Reservations for multiple time-slots refers to examples in which a single reservation signal or forwarded reservation signal identifies a plurality of time-slots that have been reserved for data transmissions. The GPS information includes, for example, information such as a wireless communication device’s geo-location, speed, heading, and zone identifier. The zone identifier (zone ID) identifies a zone in which a wireless communication device is located. A number of time-slots reserved information refers to examples in which a single reservation signal or forwarded reservation signal contains a number (e.g., 3 time-slots) that indicates how many time-slots are being reserved by that particular reservation signal or forwarded reservation signal. A cell identifier (cell ID) identifies a cell that is serving a wireless communication device. A group identifier (group ID) identifies a group to which a wireless communication device belongs. The frame-offset indicates the frame-offset being used by a wireless communication device. The subframe-offset indicates the subframe-offset being used by a wireless communication device. Inclusion of one or more of the foregoing items in reservation signaland/or forwarded reservation signaladvantageously provides information when the wireless communication devices are served by different operators and/or by different base stations. For example, each base station could have a different frame numbering. Thus, the wireless communication devices can take information such as the cell ID and the offset into account to identify the reserved time-slots from a wireless communication device served by a different base station.

112 112 112 114 In some examples, the physical format of reservation signalis hard coded. In other examples, the physical format of reservation signalis configured via higher layer (e.g., Radio Resource Control) signaling. In other examples, the reserved time-slots are identified in a control channel of the reservation signal. In still further examples, the reserved time-slots are identified in a control channel of the forwarded reservation signal.

110 108 In some examples, a data transmitting wireless communication devicemay reserve resources for its future data transmissions in the SCI of a current data transmission, as mentioned above in connection with LTE/5G NR V2X. Similarly, the reservation forwarding wireless communication devicehas the option to forward the reservation in the SCI of its own current data transmission.

108 106 106 Alternatively, the forwarding wireless communication devicemay send forwarded reservation data as a data transmission, where the reservation information (e.g., regarding the reserved time-slots) is transmitted in the Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH). In these cases, the reservation data may be allocated a separate Logical Channel identifier (LCID) to separate the traffic data from the control data and so that the reservation data is processed in the application layer (V2X layer) of the receiving wireless communication device. In this manner, wireless communication devicecan decode the data to obtain the reservation information.

108 108 112 110 114 108 111 110 108 108 112 110 114 108 111 110 112 108 108 111 110 110 108 110 112 108 110 108 110 In some examples, wireless communication devicedetermines that wireless communication deviceshould forward reservation signalfrom wireless communication deviceas forwarded reservation signal. For example, if wireless communication deviceis located near an edge of coverage areaassociated with wireless communication device, then wireless communication devicedetermines that wireless communication deviceshould forward reservation signalfrom wireless communication deviceas forwarded reservation signal. In some examples, wireless communication devicedetermines that it is located near an edge of coverage areaassociated with wireless communication deviceby determining whether a received power value of reservation signal, as measured at wireless communication device, is below a pre-defined threshold value. In other examples, wireless communication devicedetermines that it is located near an edge of coverage areaassociated with wireless communication devicebased, at least partially, on location information associated with the wireless communication device. In some instances, wireless communication devicereceives the location information (e.g., GPS information and/or zone ID) associated with the wireless communication devicein reservation signal. In other instances, wireless communication devicecould already be in communication with wireless communication devicesuch that wireless communication deviceis already aware of the location of wireless communication device.

108 114 112 114 110 110 108 110 114 112 110 A B C D D D In other examples, wireless communication deviceautonomously re-broadcasts updates to a previously forwarded reservation signal. For example, assume that reservation signaland forwarded reservation signalboth identify a plurality of time-slots (e.g., T, T, and T) that are reserved by wireless communication device. Upon determining that one or more additional time-slots should be reserved for upcoming data transmissions, wireless communication devicetransmits an updated reservation signal that additionally reserves time-slot T. In response to the updated reservation signal, wireless communication devicewill transmit an updated forwarded reservation signal that identifies one or more newly reserved time-slots (e.g., T), which have been reserved by wireless communication devicefor data transmissions within the VANET. Thus, in this example, the updated forwarded reservation signal, which identifies T, is transmitted after transmission of forwarded reservation signaland before the occurrence of the one or more time-slots identified in the updated forwarded reservation signal. In some examples, the number of time-slots reserved information (e.g., the number of reserved time-slots) is included in reservation signaltransmitted from wireless communication device.

108 114 110 110 112 112 114 110 110 108 108 110 110 A B C C A B C C In other examples, wireless communication devicemay transmit an update to a previously forwarded reservation signalin response to receiving an updated reservation signal from wireless communication devicethat indicates that wireless communication deviceno longer requires all of the time-slots that were previously identified in reservation signal. For example, assume that reservation signaland forwarded reservation signalboth identify a plurality of time-slots (e.g., T, T, and T) that are reserved by wireless communication device. Upon determining that time-slot Tis no longer needed, wireless communication devicetransmits an updated reservation signal to wireless communication device. Based on the updated reservation signal, wireless communication devicetransmits an updated forwarded reservation signal, after wireless communication devicehas transmitted data during time-slot T, which identifies time-slot Tbut not time-slot Tas being reserved by wireless communication device. In this manner, the updated reservation signal effectively releases time-slot Tto be utilized by another wireless communication device in the VANET.

108 112 114 108 114 114 218 108 114 110 218 108 114 110 218 108 114 106 114 t t n m + n m k +- Once wireless communication devicedetermines that it should forward reservation signalas forwarded reservation signal, it is important that wireless communication devicetransmits forwarded reservation signalbefore the usefulness of forwarded reservation signalexpires. Thus, transmitterof wireless communication deviceis configured to transmit the forwarded reservation signalbefore the one or more time-slots (e.g.,) that have been reserved by wireless communication devicefor data transmissions. In some examples, transmitterof wireless communication deviceis configured to transmit the forwarded reservation signalan integer number, k, of time-slots (e.g.,) before the one or more time-slots that have been reserved by wireless communication devicefor data transmissions. In other examples, transmitterof wireless communication deviceis configured to transmit the forwarded reservation signalbased, at least partially, on an estimated time required for wireless communication deviceto receive and decode the forwarded reservation signal.

108 114 112 108 114 3 FIG. Optimally, wireless communication devicewill transmit forwarded reservation signalin the very next time-slot after the time-slot in which reservation signalwas transmitted. However, the next time-slot may not be available since it is likely that another wireless communication device will be using the next time-slot. Thus, in some examples, wireless communication devicewill transmit forwarded reservation signalin a next available time-slot., discussed more fully below, shows one example of the timing of the transmission of the reservation signals and forwarded reservation signal in relation to each other and to the reserved time-slot.

218 108 114 108 114 218 108 114 108 114 104 In other examples, transmitterof wireless communication deviceis configured to transmit the forwarded reservation signaleven when wireless communication devicedoes not have data to transmit beyond that contained in the forwarded reservation signal. For example, transmitterof wireless communication devicemay be configured to transmit the forwarded reservation signaleven when wireless communication devicedoes not have data to transmit beyond that contained in the forwarded reservation signal, based on a network-configured data traffic condition threshold. In some examples, the network-configured data traffic condition threshold is provided to one or more of the wireless communication devices of the VANET via downlink signals.

108 108 One example of such a network-configured data traffic condition threshold is a Channel Busy Rate (CBR), which is a measure of traffic congestion. Thus, if the CBR is below a threshold, which indicates less traffic, then a wireless communication deviceis allowed to transmit a forwarded reservation signal even when the wireless communication devicehas no data of its own to transmit.

3 FIG. 1 FIG.B 3 FIG. 300 300 t is a diagram of an example of a time-frequency space showing the reservation signals and the forwarded reservation signal that are transmitted in. For the example shown in, time-frequency domainis provided where time is represented as slots,, on the horizontal axis and frequency is represented as frequency sub-channels on the vertical axis. Each box in the 5x6 grid of time-frequency domainrepresents a time-slot that has both a corresponding slot and sub-channel.

3 FIG. 106 113 t 113 106 110 112 112 110 n 1 - n m + n m + t n t t In the example shown in, wireless communication devicetransmits reservation signalin Sub-channel A at time(represented by cross-hatching within the corresponding time-slot). Reservation signalreserves time-slotfor wireless communication deviceto utilize for data transmissions within the VANET. Wireless communication devicetransmits reservation signalin Sub-channel C at time. Reservation signalreserves time-slotfor wireless communication deviceto utilize for data transmissions within the VANET.

112 113 108 112 113 113 112 108 114 106 106 108 114 108 114 t t t t t n m + n 2 + n m + n 1 + n m + After receiving reservation signals,, wireless communication devicedetermines that reservation signals,both identify at least one common time-slot (e.g.,). Since the data priority level indicated in reservation signalis lower than the data priority level indicated in reservation signal, wireless communication devicetransmits a forwarded reservation signalto wireless communication devicein Sub-channel D at timeso that wireless communication devicecan determine whether to refrain from transmitting data during thetime-slot. In other examples, wireless communication devicecan transmit the forwarded reservation signalin any other suitable time-slot. For example, wireless communication devicecould transmit the forwarded reservation signalas early as thetime-slot or any other time-slot that occurs before thetime-slot.

106 110 108 108 106 110 108 In some examples, if both wireless communication devices,transmit reservation signals indicating the same data priority level, wireless communication devicemust determine the correct course of action, based on the network configuration. For example, wireless communication devicemay determine not to transmit a forwarded reservation signal, which would result in a collision such that wireless communication devices,would need to perform a resource reselection procedure in order to retransmit their data. In other examples, the process by which wireless communication devicedetermines whether to transmit a forwarded reservation signal and, if so, which wireless communication device will be the intended recipient, may be based on wireless communication device implementation.

Although the foregoing discussion describes multiple wireless communication devices reserving a same transmission resource in terms of reserving a same time-slot, it should be appreciated that in some instances multiple wireless communication devices may be able to reserve a same time-slot but a different sub-channel on that same time-slot for a future data transmission. Thus, the foregoing discussion advantageously provides devices, systems, and methods for preventing merging collisions in the event that multiple wireless communication devices reserve the same sub-channel during the same time-slot for future data transmissions.

4 FIG. is a flowchart of an example of a method in which a first wireless communication device receives first and second reservation signals from a second and third wireless communication device, respectively. Each reservation signal includes an indication of a data priority level and identifies one or more time-slots that have been reserved by the respective second and third wireless communication devices for data transmissions. At least one of the identified time-slots in the first reservation signal is the same as at least one of the identified time-slots in the second reservation signal. The second data priority level indicated in the second reservation signal is lower than the first data priority level indicated in the first reservation signal. The first wireless communication device transmits a forwarded reservation signal that identifies the one or more time-slots that have been reserved by the second wireless communication device.

400 402 108 100 110 100 112 110 100 112 404 108 106 100 113 106 100 113 112 113 406 108 114 106 110 100 106 114 110 400 400 4 FIG. 4 FIG. The methodbegins at stepwith receiving, at first wireless communication device, which is a node of VANET, from second wireless communication device, which is another node of VANET, first reservation signalthat identifies one or more time-slots that have been reserved by second wireless communication devicefor data transmissions within VANET. The first reservation signalcontains an indication of a first data priority level associated with the second wireless communication device data transmissions. At step, first wireless communication devicereceives, from third wireless communication device, which is another node of VANET, second reservation signalthat identifies one or more time-slots that have been reserved by third wireless communication devicefor data transmissions within VANET, at least one of the identified time-slots in the second reservation signalbeing the same as at least one of the identified time-slots in the first reservation signal. The second reservation signalcontains an indication of a second data priority level associated with the third wireless communication device data transmissions, the second data priority level being lower than the first data priority level. At step, first wireless communication devicetransmits forwarded reservation signalto the third wireless communication devicethat identifies one or more time-slots that have been reserved by second wireless communication devicefor data transmissions within VANETsuch that third wireless communication devicedetermines, based at least partially on the forwarded reservation signal, whether to refrain from transmitting data within the one or more time-slots that have been reserved by the second wireless communication devicefor data transmissions. In other examples, one or more of the steps of methodmay be omitted, combined, performed in parallel, or performed in a different order than that described herein or shown in. In still further examples, additional steps may be added to methodthat are not explicitly described in connection with the example shown in.

Clearly, other embodiments and modifications of this invention will occur readily to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of these teachings. The above description is illustrative and not restrictive. This invention is to be limited only by the following claims, which include all such embodiments and modifications when viewed in conjunction with the above specification and accompanying drawings. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description, but instead should be determined with reference to the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.